Bolton School begins final phase of campus
Work begins this month on a £5m Sixth Form Centre at Bolton School designed by architects Cassidy + Ashton.
Senior pupils will get a new common room, cafe, study spaces and outdoor areas, designed to fit in with the original grade II-listed buildings.
Access to the three-storey building will be by glazed corridors connected to the existing premises. Large windows will create light and airy spaces inside and a view across landscaped outdoor areas. The new centre will bring together Sixth Form girls and boys under one roof for the first time. Students will share the new facilities but continue to benefit from a single-sex education.
Lawrence McBurney, Cassidy + Ashton's lead architect on the project, said: "It has been a pleasure to work with Bolton School to create something which will become so prominent at this already very striking school.
"The opportunity to introduce a new building within the main quad, adding and complementing the setting of the listed buildings has been a challenge but one which we think has created a unique and dramatic centrepiece for the school."
The original Bolton School buildings were the result of an architectural competition in the 1900s and governors were keen to ensure that new buildings follow the same high standard of design.
Cathy Fox, clerk and treasurer of Bolton School, said: "We are delighted to renew our relationship with Cassidy and Ashton, having already worked with them on designs for our new Infant and Junior Girls' Schools as well as on the extension of Park Road, our Junior Boys' School.
"We chose them because their design best suited our needs and also because we know from past experience that they deliver on time and to budget. They are always a pleasure to work with, fitting in with any last minute adjustments or requirements on our side.
"The drawings they came up with for our new shared Sixth Form Centre were stunning, referencing our grand sandstone school and iconic neo-gothic façade but in what will be a very futuristic and eye-catching building. We look forward to the completion of another successful project, which will be the final phase of our recent £18m investment in facilities on our campus."
Cassidy + Ashton is based in Preston and Chester.
Great news for one of the region’s quality academic institutions.
By Chateau Musar